You are here

Loan Policy

Loan Policy Version Date: 16 December 2015

General Terms

1) Loan

Is the temporary physical transfer of specimens from the C. A. Triplehorn Insect Collection (from here on referred to as ‘COLLECTION’) to eligible borrowers without the transfer of ownership. Loans are issued primarily for the purpose of taxonomic and systematics research. Access to specimens only for data or image capture will be at the discretion of the Curator of the COLLECTION. Loans are issued as a professional courtesy and may be recalled at the discretion of the Curator of the COLLECTION.

Loan Categories:

Regular (R) – for all specimens that are not Primary Types. (see specific terms below)

Loan Invoice – Specifies the terms of the loan and describes its content. It includes all relevant loan information, such as a list of specimens in the loan, loan due date, condition of the specimens at time of shipment, and any special conditions applying to that loan.

Loan Policy – Describes the policies that apply to all loans issued by the Collection.

Special Conditions – Specific policies and restrictions that apply to a loan, but that are not included in the general Loan Policy.

2) Borrower

Person responsible for a loan. Faculty or permanent research staff affiliated to a recognized educational or research institution with facilities for the proper storage of scientific specimens.

Borrower's associates – graduate students, non-permanent personnel (e.g., visiting faculty, post-doctoral associates, etc.), and individual investigators without permanent institutional affiliation. Associates can have access to specimens for study if they have an eligible Borrower who formally agrees to be responsible for the loan.

Borrower's Responsibilities:

Review, sign and return the Loan Invoice. Discrepancies between the Loan Invoice and the shipment received (e.g., number of specimens), as well as any significant damage to the specimens that might have occurred during shipping, should be recorded in the Loan Invoice.

Abide by the COLLECTION’S Loan Policy and all Special Conditions detailed in the Loan Invoice.

3) Loan Requests

All loan requests should be submitted in writing (e-mail, fax or letter) and should include:

Borrower’s full name and, when applicable, name of associate (post-doc, graduate student, etc.) who will be working with the specimens;

Borrower's institutional affiliation & professional title;

Institutional mailing address, fax and phone numbers;

Detailed taxonomic information about the taxon of interest, and brief description of the nature and scope of the research involving the requested material;

Note: Borrowers holding large numbers of specimens on loan may be asked to return all or part of that material before new loans can be granted.

4) Specimen Transfers

Prior written authorization from the Curator of the COLLECTION is required BEFORE any kind of specimen transfer.

Change of Location – Loans are shipped to the Borrower’s institution address; loaned specimens should be housed & studied in that facility. Loaned specimens should NOT be transferred to another institution or location without prior written authorization. In case the Borrower moves to another institution, the loan will need to be closed, and re-issued with the new institution information. Transfer of loan material to another institution without authorization will result in loss of all loan privileges with the COLLECTION.

Transfers to Third Parties – Transfer of loan material to a third party without written authorization from the Curator will result in loss of all loan privileges with the COLLECTION.

Specimen Handling – Prior written authorization from the Curator of the COLLECTION is required BEFORE any destructive or potentially damaging research method (dissection; DNA extraction; staining or coating for microscopy; etc.) is used on COLLECTION loan material. Specimens so used should be labeled accordingly (e.g., DNA voucher; genitalia removed and photographed; etc.), with removed parts appropriately re-attached to the specimen (e.g., genitalia vial; card mount) or stored separately (e.g., microscope slides), and returned with the specimens.

Note: Damage to specimens caused by improper storage (including damage by insect pests and/or fungus), careless handling, or by the use of unauthorized destructive methods will result in loss of all loan privileges with the COLLECTION.

Specimen Labels & Label Data

Original Labels – None of the labels attached to loaned specimens, including old or invalid determination labels, should be discarded, replaced or altered. When temporarily removing labels for imaging purposes, the Borrower should reposition all labels as originally found.

New Determination Labels – Taxonomic changes or determination updates should be clearly labeled. A determination label, containing determiner's name and date of determination, should be added to each specimen and at least to the first specimen in a series for all taxa recognized in the loan material.

Unique Identifiers – All loaned specimens have a unique identifier in the format of a 4-letter code (OSUC), a space and a number (zeros to the left not included), e.g., OSUC 12345. The unique ID code attached to each specimen is printed on a small plastic label (barcode label), and is both human and machine readable. The unique id is an intrinsic part of the specimen label data and is included in the Collection’s specimen level database. In order to avoid duplication of records in the literature, this format should be strictly followed whenever specimen label data is cited.

NO EXTRANEOUS CODE LABELS OR NEW IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS OF ANY KIND SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE SPECIMENS.

6) Returns

Loan returns are at the Borrower’s expense. Specimens should be returned with the original specimen boxes and packed in a manner comparable to that in which the loan was received. A copy of the Loan Invoice should be included with the specimens. At the time of the loan return, the Borrower is expected to send correspondence to the COLLECTION (post or e-mail), containing list of taxonomic changes, re-determinations and type designations associated with the loan material.

7) Acknowledgements

Borrower is required to acknowledge the COLLECTION in all publications, traditional or electronic, including catalogs, compilations, databases, posters, maps, web pages, etc., generated in whole or in part from the study of the borrowed specimens, of images of the specimens, or of data associated with the specimens. The acknowledgment should always contain the full name, the coden and the academic affiliation of the COLLECTION, as follows:

C. A. Triplehorn Insect Collection (OSUC), The Ohio State University.

Borrower is expected to submit citation references or electronic reprints of all publications or online resources resulting from the loan, as well as to send copies of all images taken of loan specimens to the COLLECTION.

Terms Specific to Regular Loans [R]:

1) Duration of Loan

Unless stated otherwise in the Loan Invoice, REGULAR LOANS of non-type specimens are valid for a period of 1 (one) year, renewable upon written request up to a maximum of 5 (five) years from the Date Issued listed in the loan invoice. The Curator of the Collection will respond in writing granting approval or asking for the return of the material.

2) Designation & Deposition of Types

All PRIMARY TYPES and PARATYPES designated from loan material should be deposited at the Collection, unless otherwise specified in the Loan Invoice or by written authorization from the Curator of the COLLECTION.

3) Retention of Specimens

The following categories of specimens are entirely unavailable for retention:

Specimens previously determined to genus or species, independent of the accuracy of the determination.

For all other specimens:

Prior written authorization from the Curator of the COLLECTION is required for the retention of borrowed specimens.

Specimens retained from the Collection’s holdings must be deposited at a public institution, and not in private collections.

Requests for specimen retention should include a list of the target specimens; the requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but only after the loan is returned in full. If the request is approved, specimens will be shipped back to the Borrower at the COLLECTION’S expense.

Terms Specific to Primary Type Loans [T]:

1) Duration of Loan

PRIMARY TYPES are loaned for a maximum period of 3 (three) months, non-renewable. Loans of holotypes or primary type series are limited to five (5) species at a time. Additional type specimens will only be loaned after the return of all previously loaned types.

2) Type Specimen Labels

Type specimens usually have a series of labels attached to the pin. None of the type labels should be separated from the specimen or changed in any way, unless otherwise authorized by the Curator of the Collection. In case it is necessary to temporarily remove some or all labels from a type specimen (e.g., for imaging), the Borrower is expected to place labels back in the same order and position they were found. Special care should be exercised in cases when a genitalia vial is attached to the specimen.

3) Type Citation

References to a holotype specimen in any form of publication (e.g., traditional or online articles, databases, checklists, etc.) must contain the specimen unique identifier (formatted as specified in item 5.b.iii above) and unequivocally state that the holotype is deposited at the COLLECTION (see “Acknowledgements” above).

4) Return

PRIMARY TYPES must be returned by fully trackable, signature-required services. PRIMARY TYPES should be placed in individual specimen boxes (i.e., one specimen per box), with all genitalia vials and specimen labels carefully braced with insect pins. Slides should always be packed separately from pinned specimens. A maximum of 10 (ten) PRIMARY TYPES should be returned in one shipment. Specimens should not be shipped between November 15 and January 15.

Failure to abide by the terms of the Loan Policy detailed herein & by all the Special Conditions described in the Loan Invoice WILL result in partial or complete loss of privileges with the COLLECTION. This will apply to the Borrower and to the Borrower’s associates, including other individuals of the same institution. The institution employing or sponsoring the Borrower will be held responsible for the loan until it is returned in full.